"Ed's a Raven, he'll always be a Raven," Harbaugh said. "I'm sure he'll be in the Ring of Honor someday, in the Hall of Fame someday. We've kept in touch with Ed off and on here regularly.

"He's a good friend of everybody here. There are no plans to change our secondary personnel at this time. We're happy with what we have. Our guys are playing well, so that's where we're at."

Reed is subject to the NFL waivers system, but the 35-year-old nine-time Pro Bowl selection isn't expected to be claimed since a team would have to pick up the remaining $411,000 of his $1 million base salary, as well as weekly $62,500 bonuses for every game he's active.

The 2004 NFL Defensive Player of the Year struggled this season with the Texans after signing a three-year, $15 million contract in March and then undergoing offseason hip surgery.

Reed was cut two days after he criticized the coaching staff, saying the team had been "outcoached" during a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Reed's play and speed had declined this season as he had just 16 tackles with no interceptions, no forced fumbles and no pass deflections while allowing multiple big plays.

Reed's release came as a surprise to many Ravens players.

"It was very surprising," rookie free safety Matt Elam said. "With his knowledge and the way he's played in past years, it was very surprising."

It's also something of a vote of confidence in strong safety James Ihedigbo and Elam that the Ravens don't feel a need to go back to Reed.

"I was really surprised," Ihedigbo said. "He's a great player, but it's the nature of this business. It didn't work out for him over there. He'll definitely be playing someplace else. I'm not too worried about it. Ed's a great guy, kind of a mentor for me."